december-2009

PHOTOS © TONY FRENCH, JOHN FASS
4
Clockwise from here,
Café Below dessert;
St Mary-le-Bow’s crypt
restaurant; Hotel Ludwig
tasting plate; Alla
Basilica; Ettal Abbey;
previous spread, The
Restaurant at St Paul’s
GASTRONOMIC TIME TRAVEL
TEL AVIV
Craving what David was bringing his
brothers when he stopped to slay Goliath?
Head to the Eucalyptus Restaurant in
Jerusalem for smoked, cracked green
wheat, which chef Moshe Basson serves
with dishes such as lamb shank and fava
beans. The Eucalyptus is not a religiousrun
establishment, but qualifi es because its
unique speciality is gourmet Bible food.
An internationally acclaimed food
historian and chef, Moshe blends ancient
history with Biblical ingredients such as
herbs and greens foraged from the Judean
hills, mushrooms hunted in secret troves
and even organic lemons from customers’
gardens. His inspirations are endless: sacred
texts, Palestinian friends and, of course, his
Jewish mother.
Having recently moved to a bigger space
in the artist colony, Eucalyptus is now a
10-minute stroll from the Jaffa Gate. It still
serves famous vegetarian and meat fare, but
a new café offers kosher dairy innovations.
Catch the sunset from rooftop seating.
The restaurant has big plans for the
coming months, too, including a Bible deli
and a cookbook so you can enjoy Basson’s
Bible food at home.
The Eucalyptus Restaurant, 14 Hativat
Yerushalayim Street, Jerusalem, tel: + 972
(0)26 244 331, the-eucalyptus.com
5
GOD’S COUNTRY AT TABLESIDE
VIENNA
Monks aren’t the only ones with a view so
beautiful that UNESCO made the valley
a World Heritage Site. From high atop
Göttweig Mountain near Krems in Lower
DIVINE DINING | SACRED TASTES
Austria, the restaurant at Göttweig Abbey
overlooks the Danube’s Wachau Valley. The
food, too, can make diners feel on top of
the world. From the Benedictine abbey’s
own forest come game dishes such as deer
goulash with spätzle noodles. The menu also
offers variations on seasonal themes, such
as springtime asparagus with new potatoes
in hollandaise sauce. August produces
the region’s famous Marillen apricots and
Advent week features glühwein with roasted
chestnuts. The abbey’s vineyards have
produced grapes for 900 years.
The massive 18th-century baroque
monastery is 60km from Vienna by car, or
diners can make room for extra calories by
taking the Passau-Vienna bike trail.
Stiftsrestaurant Göttweig, tel. +43 (0) 2732
85581 225, stiftsrestaurant.at
6
CANDLELIGHT IN THE CRYPT
LONDON
It’s said that true Cockneys must be born
within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow.
Luckily, food lovers can be born anywhere
to enjoy farm-fresh meals in the church’s
crypt. The only requirement is to come with a
hearty appetite for breakfast, lunch or supper.
The crypt, a former burial chamber, has
been an atmospheric eatery in London’s
Cheapside for 20 years and still serves
vegetarian and vegan fare. But this October
it started a new life as the Café Below, with
extended hours and an expanded menu that
features goodies such as bacon, sausage,
cider and dairy products direct from the
agricultural heartland of Herefordshire.
But the food is only half the story. Every
evening, the romantic nooks and crannies
between the arches take on the glow of
candlelight. On the way out, stop at the
church’s Christmas shop to buy some Peace
Oil, extra virgin olive oil produced in peaceful
cooperation by Jews, Arabs, Bedouins and
Druze. Profi ts support peace projects in the
Middle East.
Café Below, St Mary-le-Bow Church,
Cheapside, tel: +44 (0)20 7329 0789,
cafebelow.co.uk
FURTHER READING
Europe’s Monastery and Convent
Guesthouses: A Pilgrim’s Travel Guide by
Kevin Wright (£10.95/€12), published by
Liguori Publications
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DECEMBER 09 | TRAVELLER | 75